Category: Dreamin’

Istanbul is enchanted. It is a magical city, and the magic is so intense that you can almost hear it in the air. This cannot be explained, as it is a completely different dimension, but it is not any less real. Every stone, every trash can (there isn’t many of those) and every bench, every dirty beggar, every tree, every wave of Marmara, every train, bridge and the bolts on them, every boy selling water, every Vespa and every roof are magical, filled with strange energy — not negative or positive, not like anything that can be described. It is a very strange kind of extraordinarily attractive energy — it fills you and wraps you and floats you away, in this amazingly sweet slumber, chanting soothing melodies to your ear, touching the most special strings in your soul, and going so deep that it cracks your very essence open to you and the city. It is a city that makes you surrender instantly — and completely. Surrender to being happy, for you are real.

I am forever in love, and I need not pretend. I desperately, hopelessly and endlessly love Istanbul.

Pathetically sentimental and poetic? I am one of the more cynical people out there, but one has to be a shallow douchebag to not feel the immense sorcery that this city is filled with!

When the night comes, the stars gently swim down from the sky into the Bosphorus and become mermaids, whispering tales of the great unknown and stealing your heart as you stand there, seduced, speechless, like a statue, your spirit floating above the dreaming city, caressed by the seas.

Tomorrow, I am going to hop on my motorcycle and head to Eskişehir. A piece of my heart, however, is forever going to stay here in Istanbul, between Europe and Asia, Marmara and Black Sea, somewhere along these curvy streets and wrapped around the heels of the gorgeous Turkish ladies. I have to come back, or I shall always be heartbroken. Thank you, Istanbul, for enriching me so much that I feel like I need a bigger body to host myself comfortably. Thank you for changing me forever, for making me so endlessly self–sufficient, and yet thank you for reminding me that I still know how to love.

Motorcycling for some is about the speed. For some others it is about the acceleration. Some love the chrome, some love the sound, and some are thrilled with the danger. For some it is about the agility and many miles per gallon, while some others are excited with the mechanics of the vehicle.

For a specific group of people, and that includes myself, motorcycling is about the adventure. It is about what comes after the next curve, what’s behind the next hill and what’s that spill on the tarmac ahead. We think rain, and we think unexplored roads, and we think places we’ve never been to before. And for us there is the BMW F800GS, the young brother of BMW’s flagship R1200GS Adventure. Sexy, aggressive and stylish as all hell.

“The Monster 796 is the perfect synthesis between sports performances, aesthetics and daily riding pleasure. Cared for in each single detail, it is the ideal bike for each riding style and represents the utmost evolution of the Monster family.”

—Ducati

Despite the differences, these motorcycles are essentially aimed at the same crowd: young urban dudes who want style, performance and daily commute (at our age it’s always a matter of a choice between a car and a motorcycle; both together are very rarely an option). For all these young dudes who want something more stylish (yes, more stylish!) and more fun (that’s right!) than a plastic sportbike, all major motorcycle manufacturers have something to offer. All these offers are generally within the 500cc and 800cc range naked streetfighters with upright riding position, have a good performance engine and stylish design.

Honda has two ideas of that for 2011. First is Honda Hornet, which is pretty cool looking but is not very practical due to its very low ground clearance (might as well get a CBR600) and limited accessories options. It’s awesome if you want to ride around cafes, but what if you encounter a little gravel?

Second is Honda CBF600, a 600cc 4-cylinder naked motorcycle that is fantastic in every way.

2011 Honda CBF600

Until you see what Ducati is offering.

2011 Ducati Monster 796

Oh my God! Now take a look at numbers!

Ducati Monster 796

Honda CBF600

Engine Size

796cc

600cc

Cylinders

4

4

Power

87 hp (64 kW) @ 8250 rpm

76.43 HP (55.8 kW)) @ 10500 RPM

Weight

167kg

191kg

Gearbox

6-speed

6-speed

Ground Clearance

150mm

130mm

OK, you say, the numbers are good, the looks are definitely awesome but it’s a Ducati against Honda, and this means thousands of dollars of price difference! Ducati is the “elite” motorcycle for the posh guys (who have both a motorcycle and a car), and Honda has always been there as an affordable alternative to the European motorcycles! How much more would the italian beauty cost than its cheap japanese counterpart? And that’s where the whole point of this post comes in:

2011 Ducati Monster 796: ~$9,950
2011 Honda CBF600: ~$9,000

Question: would you pay 10% extra to ride a motorcycle that is sexier, faster, lighter, more powerful, taller, has a better build quality, is hand-made in Italy and has “Ducati” written over it?

[pe2-gallery class=”gallery aligncenter” ] [/pe2-gallery]

Note: Gallery pictures are extremely sexy and high-res, check the spectacular stock paint job of each one of these Monsters!

Sounds awkward after the New Year festivities? For us the chosen ones 2010 starts in April, and we are counting every second to get back on the road with that soft chilly Spring scent in the air.

I have added a Season 2010 Countdown widget to the blog on the right sidepane, above the About text. While half of the winter is gone by now, still more than two months remain. And hell, World of Warcraft just doesn’t fill the gap.

Season 2009 was truly an amazing motorcycling experience. Yerevan started really getting on two wheels. A lot of riding events took place. New dealerships, motorcycling clubs and pubs opened!

As 2009 goes into history, it leaves only wonderful positive motorcycling memories. This was my most intense riding season, I put about 9000 kilometers on my odometer and I’m planning to do nothing less in 2010! During the rides there were of course wonderful friends and ridemates to share the joy and the most wonderful places and roads to discover and explore! And of course I blogged a lot!

On this I want to wish us all a very happy, a very exciting and a very passionate 2010. Let’s ride through it on two wheels and be safe, healthy and excited in doing so! Vroom!

Some of my memories from 2009 are in these pictures, and they are clickable too! Muah!

My shiny CBF500 right from the dealership!The Abovyan Petrol Station is where most north-directed rides kick offFirst Ride Ever, Tsakhkadzor - Bjni SectionJust arrived at OdzunReckless Riding in StepanakertEd & Su Wedding TakeoffEd & Su Wedding RunAn abandoned petrol station break at MetsamorPreparing to take off for IjevanSardarapatArmenia-Turkey Border, a WatchpostA Turkish Mosque on the other side of Arpacay ReservoirParachute Jump at the Arzni Military AirportOur Parachute jump Helicopter in the Arzni Military AirportSomewhere between Goris and the Karabakh borderWhite Shirt Riders!Norayr & Vahe discussing CBF500 in UrtsadzorGyumri DowntownGyumri Main SquareArzni RacingTwo more motorcycles arrive at the racing event in ArzniLamb barbeque in HaghartsinVardaghbyur-Stepanavan Offroad SectionFellows posing on a truck in BerdTop of Selim, the highest motoring road in ArmeniaSevan - Shorzha, Vishapi CoastManeh & Zhirayr in SevanEsther and Guido on Northern AvenueMy new helmet, the stylish AGV DragonVardaghpyur - Stepanavan Middle SectionThey Painted It Red!

It looks as though the ice is melting in Yerevan — slowly but very firmly. And how could it be otherwise when the weather is so hot and so are the girls!

Season ’09 has started to prove my old claims that Armenians in their essence are people of two wheels, not willing to give up any freedom for any security. I can spot and hear more and more motorbikes in the streets of Yerevan and that makes me excited! I remember how different everything was back in the day, how riding a motorbike was considered outlandish and how criticized the very idea of riding a motorcycle was.

An SUV has stopped me 10 minutes ago as I was approaching the restaurant where I’m posting this from and a charismatic guy in his early thirties asked me how to get into motorcycling. Earlier in the day I was discussing the same with a colleague from my company during a coffee break… And everywhere seems to be this cool atmosphere of people who are tired of watching more TV in their car cages.

This gives me a profound feeling of responsibility. I’m going to do my best, making sure that their starting experience with getting on two wheels is most pleasant and smooth. It freaks me out to think that maybe I had my unbelievably small contribution in making these people want to ride. That perhaps it was my motorcycle they saw in the street that got them thinking. That perhaps it was me entering a curve that thrilled them. These very thoughts get me into this groovy mood! Every time I pass by a child in a car who looks at me with these specific burning eyes and dropped chin, I smile and think that perhaps — just perhaps — I will remain a vivid memory in his small neural network and as years pass — one day, after an intense conversation night with parents, he will open the local dealer’s door with that distinct determined look. I hope his chin drops again, with that same childish amusement he used to have over the motorcycle he gets!

Thank you everyone who has been riding. Thank you all who will be riding. Thank you. Everything will be fucking awesome.